Thousands over the globe look to undersized NBA legend Allen Iverson for motivation but not many of them receive personal feedback from the man himself. Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas is a privileged man; he has The Answer on speed-dial.

The text message appeared on Thomas’ IPhone the morning after he scored 29 points in an exhilarating road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 27-year-old carried his team over the finish line with a double-digit fourth quarter, showing some of the competitive spirit he learned from his idol. Iverson watching over Thomas means a lot to the Washington native, as per Chris Forsberg of ESPN:

"It was real early in the morning that he texted, like 8:30, so he must have been watching highlights [of the Minnesota game] or something," Thomas said. "I told him, 'I appreciate it and that I'm just trying to be like you.' He was like, ‘Say no more.’ Those texts man, it just motivates me to keep going. Someone like that is watching me without me even reaching out to him, so I guess I’m doing something right."

Previously, the duo have met at February’s All-Star Weekend and appeared together at a gala in Philadelphia. IT has developed a genuine friendship with Iverson, whose approval has provided him with the vindication that many players crave:

"It’s just like, when you have a stamp from arguably the pound-for-pound best player ever, it's like, I'm not going to listen to nobody else. I already got the stamp. [Iverson] already said I was pretty good and that I’m cut from the same cloth as him. And those type of things only motivate me to keep going."